Apparently, a third of Americans believe in ghosts. (Some polls say more, some say less.) In Britain, 68% believe. To be honest, I’m not quite sure where I fall in this poll, and I don’t know if they included an “undecided” category. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love a good ghost story and am not intrigued by the possibility of their presence among us.
For quite a few years, my husband and I have made day and weekend trips to Half Moon Bay, California.
Perched on the cliff north of Half Moon Bay is a funky restaurant that’s said to be haunted.
The Moss Beach Distillery is an adobe building with a tile roof, built in the 20s. It was popular during prohibition because of its easy access to the coast as well as its inviting atmosphere. It has delicious food, a friendly bar, a dramatic view of the Pacific Ocean, and a ghost known as the Blue Lady.
There are several theories about the Blue Lady, but the one that’s been repeated most often tells the story of a beautiful young woman in the early 1930s. She fell in love with the man who played the piano in The Distillery’s bar. The young woman, always dressed in blue, was already married. Some say her husband was prone to violence and one night he tracked her down.
The piano player was assaulted on the beach below the restaurant, but survived. The lady in blue was murdered. As the story goes, she wanders the area around The Distillery, searching for her lover.
Whether you believe or not, stories of ghosts offer excitement and chills. I recently read an old ghost story – Smee, by Alfred M. Burrage. Even though the situation was somewhat contrived (a parlor game), the story left me squirming and not quite ready to go into a dark room.
For whatever reason, the Blue Lady seems to inspire fondness more than fear. She also inspired my second Madison Keith psychological suspense novella, Shallow Water.
The Distillery feels like home to me. In part, that’s because the place I feel most content is on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. There’s also my life-long love of Spanish architecture. (When I was ten, I desperately wanted to live in a California mission.) Add to that my devotion to eating, and it’s a perfect match. Their fried artichoke hearts are delicious, decadent bar food, and the dinner menu is loaded with fresh seafood. I love to sit at the bar and sip a perfectly mixed martini. And to be completely honest, I secretly hope to see the Blue Lady some day.
I decided I’d return home with only 11 stones (my lucky number). It turns out I have 16, but maybe overcoming my compulsive collecting for a few days will lead to overcoming my obsession with lucky numbers.
In a place where everything is infinite, after all, Apple headquarters is located on a street called Infinite Loop, his death hit hard. Silicon Valley is filled with people who tend to imagine their brains and education provide the ability to create a perfect world. But in a place where the posibilities seem limitless, it’s easy to forget that no one gets an infinite life span.
I hope you have fun following the relay and learning more about Dorte and her crime fiction.
